Home performance contractors have been crossing their fingers that the Home Star program would gain federal approval before the end of summer.  For many contractors, the long delay in the passage of Home Star has left many retrofit projects on hold, as homeowners hold out for these federal incentives.

Washington, D.C. (August 3, 2010): Home appliance manufacturers and energy efficiency advocates have agreed to improved efficiency standards and tax policies for refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers, clothes dryers, dishwashers and room air conditioners. This agreement could save enough energy to meet the total energy needs of 40 percent of American homes for one year and the amount of water necessary to meet the current water needs of every customer in the City of Los Angeles for 25 years. Global warming CO₂ will be reduced by 550 million metric tons over the same time period, without considering the emissions reductions from smart appliances. Major home appliance manufacturers, their trade organization and a nationwide coalition of energy and water efficiency supporters have called for new national minimum efficiency standards, production tax credits for super-efficient appliances and inclusion of “smart grid” readiness as a feature of future ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances.

“This joint proposal will make the next generation of major home appliances the thriftiest ever when it comes to energy and water use,” said Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).  “The resulting energy and water savings will cut bills for consumers by billions of dollars and reduce global warming emissions for decades to come.”

“This agreement is an innovative approach to delivering substantial energy and water savings to the consumer through traditional energy and water standards and manufacturing incentives for  super-efficient appliances, as well as new incentives for the deployment of smart appliances,” stated Joseph M. McGuire, president of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM).  “AHAM members are pleased to join together with the leading energy and water efficiency groups to celebrate this remarkable agreement.”

Appliance manufactures and efficiency advocates will pursue adoption of these recommendations through administrative action by the Department of Energy and through legislative action by Congress.  Senator Jeff Bingaman, Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, noted that “increased energy efficiency through cost-effective energy standards for appliances and consumer products remains the single most cost-effective strategy for strengthening our nation’s economic and energy security.  Consensus agreements such as this generally attract bipartisan support. I look forward to working with my colleagues to see if these standards can be incorporated into legislation.”

Based on Department of Energy (DOE) analysis, the recommended standards and tax credits will save more than 9 quads of energy over 30 years, or roughly enough to meet the total energy needs of 40 percent of American homes for one year.  The recommended water efficiency standards and tax credits for clothes washers and dishwashers will save about 5 trillion gallons over 30 years, or approximately the amount of water necessary to meet the current water needs of every customer in the City of Los Angeles for 25 years.  Global warming CO₂ will be reduced by 550 million metric tons over the same time period, without considering the emissions reductions from smart appliances.  These reductions are equivalent to taking 100 million of today’s typical cars off the road for a year.

“Smart policies can deliver big savings to consumers and the environment,” said Ed Osann, senior policy analyst for Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)’s water program.  “This agreement builds upon previous incentives to the industry to produce more efficient appliances, and now ensures that consumers will save billions in energy and water costs while reducing pollution that threatens the earth’s climate.”

The recommended new standards will reduce new refrigerator and freezer energy use by up to 30 percent by January 2014. For top loading clothes washers, 26 percent energy savings and 16 percent water savings would kick in for 2015 relative to current standards, increasing to 37 percent energy and water savings in 2018.  For front loading clothes washers, the savings will be 43 percent for energy and 52 percent for water in 2015 compared to today’s standards.  Clothes dryers will increase in efficiency by 5 percent in 2015.  In addition, changes to the dryer test procedure will reduce over-drying, saving additional energy and extending the life of clothes.  Room air conditioners will see a 10 to 15 percent increase in efficiency effective June 2014 and dishwashers will see 14 percent energy savings and 23 percent water savings beginning in January 2013.  Many of the new standards are based on levels of efficiency that previously earned federal tax credits, illustrating how these tax credits can contribute towards transforming markets towards higher efficiency products.

“We’re pleased to be part of this agreement because it will mean lower energy and water bills for consumers,” said Mel Hall-Crawford, Energy Projects Director at Consumer Federation of America.  “For low- to moderate-income families, reducing energy costs is especially important since utility bills eat up a disproportionate share of their income.”

For a typical household, products just meeting the new standards would cut their total electric bill by about 6 percent relative to products just meeting the current standards.  Based on analysis by ACEEE, the net total national benefits for consumers for products purchased through 2030 will reach nearly $30 billion.  ACEEE analysis shows that estimated upfront cost increases to make products more efficient will pay back in lower energy bills well within the life of the affected products, often within just a few years.

Additional key features of the agreement include:

• Support for a three-year extension and update of an existing manufacturers’ tax credit for the production of super-efficient clothes washers, dishwashers, refrigerators and freezers.   Products that would qualify for the tax incentive significantly exceed the federal minimum efficiency requirements, thereby accelerating and increasing energy and water savings.  The current manufacturing appliance tax credits impact approximately 40,000 US jobs: updating and extending the credits will help manufacturers retain and expand employment.

• A planned petition to the ENERGY STAR program to provide a 5 percent credit to the required energy levels for smart appliances.  Smart appliances will help consumers save money and energy with features that allow appliance operation to adjust in reaction to dynamic pricing while allowing the consumer to ultimately have full control of when and how an appliance operates.

• Recommendations that DOE improve test methods for dryers and refrigerators to better represent actual product energy use.  These changes will create additional incentives for manufacturers to reduce product energy use.

The agreement was signed by major appliance manufacturing members of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) and by major energy and water efficiency organizations, consumer groups and environmental organizations including the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, Alliance for Water Efficiency, Alliance to Save Energy, Appliance Standards Awareness Project, Consumer Federation of America, National Consumer Law Center, Natural Resources Defense Council, Northwest Power and Conservation Council, and Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships.

Additional details on the agreement and a chart depicting the energy and water savings, and reduced carbon dioxide emissions can be found at www.aham.org/agreement .

# # #

ACEEE: The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting economic prosperity, energy security, and environmental protection. For information about ACEEE and its programs, publications, and conferences, visit www.aceee.org.

AHAM: The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers is a not-for-profit trade association representing manufacturers of major and portable home appliances, floor care appliances, and suppliers to the industry and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. You can visit the AHAM Web site at www.aham.org.

Have you seen the news? Earlier today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that HOME STAR will be included in a four-part energy bill to be introduced in the coming days. It’s the first time Majority Leader Reid has said specifically that HOME STAR will be included in upcoming legislation. Scroll down for his full statement.

“This is a BIG deal,” said Matt Golden, Efficiency First’s Policy Chair. “This bill can pass, and we need to all get behind it for one last push to see HOME STAR through.”

Majority Leader Reid is on board with HOME STAR, and we need to have his back. Next week, we’ll be asking all of you to contact your senators again and help get HOME STAR passed — but right now we have to expand our network of support even more.

Help us grow the HOME STAR Coalition: just forward this email to other companies in your contact list, and ask them to join. Here’s the link for them to sign on:

www.efficiencyfirst.org/HomeStarJoin

In the last week, you have helped grow the HOME STAR Coalition by over 600 new companies, putting our total at 2,206 Coalition members. Can you help get us to 2,500 HOME STAR Coalition members by this Monday?

Ask others in your network to sign on and express their support for HOME STAR. It’s free, and it only takes a minute to join.

Tell them to visit www.efficiencyfirst.org/HomeStarJoin to sign on.

Thanks for all of your work.

Jared Asch
National Director
Efficiency First

GEO Multifamily Weatherization Grants Available
Grant applications are being accepted for the 2010-11 multifamily weatherization program offered through the Colorado Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) and Energy Outreach Colorado. Qualifying projects must have five or more housing units and a central heating system. Applications are due by Friday, Aug. 13. Program details and the online application are available at http://www.energyoutreachcolorado.org/geo_overview.

“Home energy efficiency is one of the easiest, most immediate and most cost-effective ways to reduce carbon pollution and save money on energy bills, while creating new jobs,” said Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. “By developing and using tools to reduce residential energy use, we will spur economic growth here in America and help homeowners make cost-cutting improvements in their homes.”

The partnerships announced today will provide additional support to ongoing retrofit initiatives that are making cost-effective energy efficiency retrofits easily accessible to hundreds of thousands of American homes and businesses. These partnerships will research and deploy new technologies and demonstration projects, and provide systems engineering, quality assurance, and outreach for retrofit projects throughout the country.

Existing techniques and technologies in energy efficiency retrofitting—such as air-tight ducts, windows and doors, heating and cooling systems, insulation and caulking—can reduce energy use by up to 40% per home and cut energy bills by $40 billion annually.

The following selections were made though the DOE Building Technologies Program, which forges research partnerships across the residential building industry to develop cost-effective solutions that dramatically reduce the average energy use of housing while improving comfort and quality. To find out more, visit the Buildings Technology Program Web site.

To further support the broad deployment of energy efficiency building retrofits, DOE is hosting the Residential Building Energy Efficiency Meeting 2010 in Denver, Colorado from July 20-22, to present cutting-edge research results, identify key stakeholder and market transformation needs, and facilitate collaboration opportunities between conference participants. This conference is targeted to researchers, architects, contractors, manufacturers, builders, utilities, legislators, lenders, realtors, auditors, raters, installation technicians, HOA representatives, and anyone else interested in creating substantial connections with the field.

The following is a brief description of the selected teams, which will each receive between $500,000 and $2.5 million depending on their performance:

• Advanced Residential Integrated Energy Solutions (ARIES) led by Levy Partnership, New York, New York. ARIES will focus on energy solutions for new and existing affordable housing including factory- and site-built homes. ARIES is a broad based industry team of over 50 organizations including implementers, product suppliers, and trainers. The ARIES technical team members include CDH Energy, Southern Energy Management, Syracuse University Center of Excellence, NTA, Inc.
• Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI) led by Davis Energy Group (DEG), Davis, California. ARBI will focus on resolving technical and market barriers to large scale implementation of innovative energy solutions for new and existing homes. Team members are effectively aligned for retrofit activities, providing considerable experience in audits, home performance contracting, marketing, and finance. Specific partners include Rocky Mountain Institute, UC Davis, Heschong Mahone Group, Green Home Solutions, and Bevilacqua-Knight.
• Building America Retrofit Alliance (BARA) led by Building Media, Inc (BMI) based out of Wilmington, Delaware, and the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) located in Newark, New Jersey. BARA will focus on innovative market delivery strategies to improve energy efficiency in our nation’s existing housing stock. This team has very unique capabilities in the areas of training and outreach. Additional team members include Steve Easley and Associates, Confluence Communications, DuPont, Louisiana State University, Enterprise Community Partners, Institute for Business and Home Safety, and Hancock Software, among others.
• Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction (BA-PIRC) research team led by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), a research institute of the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida. BA-PIRC will focus on cost-effective efficiency solutions for new and existing homes in hot humid and marine climates. FSEC possesses extensive residential energy research facilities including the Manufactured Housing Laboratory, the Flexible Roof Facility, the Building Science Lab, the Hot Water Systems Laboratory, and the Climate-Controlled Air Conditioning Laboratory. Team members include Newport Partners (NP), Washington State University (WSU), Northwest Energy Works (N.E.W.), Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET), Building Performance Institute (BPI), WellHome, Florida Home Energy and Resources Organization (Florida H.E.R.O.), Calcs-Plus (CP) and TexEnergy Solutions.
• Building Energy Efficient Homes for America (BEEHA) led by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and the University of Florida (UF) headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska and Gainesville, Florida respectively. This team possesses impressive simulation and computing facilities, as well as building systems research laboratories. This multi-disciplinary research team will explore and deliver systems-engineered solutions for new and existing homes. Industry partners for this team include HearthStone Homes, Rezac Construction, Barry Rutenberg and Associates, G.W. Robinson Homes, Tommy Williams, and Johnson Controls.
• Building Industry Research Alliance (BIRA) led by ConSol with headquarters in Stockton, California. BIRA’s research will focus on energy and peak reduction in homes by evaluating technologies and market delivery approaches for neighborhood-scale implementation. The research will target a diversity of homes and a variety of strategies for retrofit implementation. Team members include more than 80 research organizations and building industry partners, such as Washington State University, Arizona State University, UC Davis, General Electric, Ennovationz, Sacramento Municipal Utilities District, San Diego Gas & Electric, Arizona Public Service, Salt River Project, and Bank of America.
• Building Science Corporation (BSC) BSC, Somerville, Massachusetts, is a leading developer of energy systems for durable, high performance homes. With an impressive depth of capabilities in all key areas required to complete the proposed research, BSC will focus on advanced technical solutions, code barriers and market demonstrations for new and existing homes. The BSC team includes Affordable Comfort, ARES Consulting, Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County, DEAP Energy Group, National Grid, and a wide array of material suppliers and manufacturers.
• Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) led by Steven Winter Associates, Inc., Norwalk, Connecticut. The CARB team has extensive experience successfully conducting and completing team-based advanced building systems research, whole-house research, and outreach. The CARB team will focus on innovative market delivery and cost-effective demonstrations of high performance retrofits and new homes. Team members include MaGrann Associates, Alliance to Save Energy’s BCAP, Pratt Center for Community Development, University of Florida’s PREC, Green Builder Media, Jay Hall and Associates, Masco, and a broad spectrum of additional stakeholders in the residential energy industry.
• Habitat Cost Effective Energy Retrofit Program Team led by Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Michigan. This team will focus on applying innovative retrofit technologies in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. These efficiency technologies can deliver energy savings up to 50% and will focus on addressing affordable housing in Cold and Mixed-Humid climate regions. The team’s vision is to improve retrofit methodologies by validating cost-effective strategies through test homes and identifying technology gaps that must be addressed. The Dow team includes Michigan State University, Ferris State University, and Habitat for Humanity, with technical contributions from Duke Energy, DTE, and Exelon.
• Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE) CSE, Cambridge, Massachusetts, will deploy large-scale energy savings by integrating efficiency and renewable energy systems in new and existing homes. The team members have extensive experience in whole-house system integration research, from simulation through commissioning. Team partners include Owens Corning, researchers from MIT, Conservation Services Group, Boston Redevelopment Authority, and Austin Housing and Economic Development and several additional team members from the residential buildings community.
• Integrated Building and Construction Solutions (IBACOS) IBACOS, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will develop and demonstrate integrated systems of design, procurement, construction, quality assurance and marketing needed to transform residential retrofits and new construction across the U.S. IBACOS team members include Advanced Energy, Criterium Engineers, EcoBroker International, GreenHomes America, and the Potomack Group, along with a wide range of highly experienced residential building scientists, researchers, architects, green building realtors, retrofit specialists, program evaluators and trainers.
• National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center Industry Partnership for High Performing Homes The NAHB Research Center is located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland and has over 40 years of experience as an integrated, system-based technology advancement center with the primary mission of removing technological and regulatory barriers to innovation by leveraging its access to remodelers and home builders. Team members include Southface Energy Institute, USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Business Excellence Consulting, Brick by Brick, Residential Building Industry Consulting Services, Concurrent Technologies Corporation, Greenbelt Homes and many others.
• National Energy Leadership Corps (NELC) led by Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania. The NELC will focus on a new approach to home and homeowner assessment that facilitates multiple levels of energy efficiency measures for existing homes including modest and low-cost improvements, extensive energy retrofits, occupant interactions, and the introduction of advanced energy controls and renewable energy technologies. NELC Team members include a broad diversity of partners such as SmartDwell, Sequentric Energy Systems, Envinity, GroundedPower, ONTILITY, Eaton Corporation, Lutron Corporation, Schneider Electric, Pittsburgh Green Innovators, Partnership for Achieving Construction Excellence (PACE), Conservation Consultants, East Liberty Development, and the Green Building Alliance.
• NorthernSTAR Energy Efficient Housing Research Partnership Team led by the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota. The NorthernStar team embraces the philosophy that achieving optimal energy efficiency in houses, neighborhoods and communities requires a holistic performance approach using an integrated implementation process. This team will develop and deploy high performance energy-efficient solutions for new and existing homes in cold and severe cold climates. Team members include the Center for Energy and the Environment, Building Knowledge, Building Green, Hunt Utilities Group, Verified Green, Energy Center of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corps, McGregor Pearce, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the University of Wisconsin and Wagner Zaun Architecture.
• Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit (PARR) led by the Gas Technology Institute, Des Plaines, Illinois. PARR has strong experience in design, development, integration, and testing of advanced building energy equipment, components and systems in laboratory and test house settings. The team will focus on improving performance, quality and market acceptance of residential retrofits in cold climates. Team members include CNT Energy, the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, the Building Research Council at the University of Illinois, and Future Energy Enterprises among others.

The premise of the show is simple: homeowners tackle their own room renovation and try to achieve professional results on a limited budget.  If the homeowners can fool a team of master contractors into thinking they spent more than their actual out-of-pocket expenses, the homeowners win the difference.  The show airs at 8:30am Mountain Time on Saturdays, with airings in the evenings throughout the week as well.  Check it out!

More about Sean Smith:

Sean Smith is a licensed general contractor and business owner in the Denver area. He grew up in Western New York in a house built in 1816 and started renovating with his family at just 3 years old. After attending college at Cornell University, he moved to Colorado, where he developed a passion for green construction and energy efficiency. Sean renovates and builds homes for clients who demand high-quality, green homes and cutting-edge, eco-friendly amenities. His projects have been certified under the EPA’s ENERGY STAR program and the U.S. Green Building Council’s ‘LEED for Homes’ program. Sean hopes to inspire all levels of homeowners to make energy-conscious, money-smart decisions without sacrificing comfort and design.

“This is a natural step in BPI’s growth toward becoming the national source for technical standards underpinning the residential energy efficiency retrofit community,” said Larry Zarker, CEO of BPI.  “ANSI accreditation is an important formal approval and third-party verification of the fairness, openness and balance BPI has offered all the stakeholders in residential energy efficiency retrofit work.  We look forward to meeting these ANSI obligations with our standards initiatives and to contributing to the overarching ANSI governance programs as a member of the standards community,” he said.

BPI’s standards development accreditation by ANSI is an increasingly important qualification for its programs in the residential energy efficiency improvement industry.  The public sector encourages agencies to adopt existing specifications and standards where they exist that have followed ANSI accreditation requirements (OMB Circular A-119).  Moreover, ANSI accreditation shows BPI has a firm understanding of the need to conduct these programs fairly, openly and by established due process.  This will ensure its standards-setting work proceeds with a true consensus of views.

“The development and execution of ANSI procedures is a significant undertaking, and BPI has committed considerable resources to ensure its success,” stated David Weitz, Director of Applied Building Science at the Conservation Services Group (CSG) and Chairman of the BPI Standards Management Board (SMB).  He added “This is matched by the personal commitment of the members of the Standards Technical Committee and its various working groups. These collaborative groups help draft standards for public review and reconcile public comments.  All of these elements working together – staff support, technical expertise, and public oversight – are at the core of an ANSI process meant to deliver standards that are technically robust and acceptable to the industry.”

ANSI facilitates the development of American National Standards (ANS) by accrediting the procedures of standards developing organizations (SDOs). These groups work cooperatively to develop voluntary national consensus standards. Accreditation by ANSI signifies that the procedures used by the standards body in connection with the development of American National Standards meet the Institute’s essential requirements for openness, balance, consensus and due process.

ANSI coordinates, facilitates, and promotes the development of voluntary consensus standards that are relied upon by industry, government agencies, and consumers across the United States and around the world. ANSI fosters the U.S. standardization system by accrediting the procedures of standard-setting organizations and subsequently approving individual documents as American National Standards (ANS). Nearly 220 ANSI-Accredited Standards Developers are now engaged in the creation and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that are being used in virtually every industry sector. These standards developers – and the experts that populate them – work cooperatively to enhance the U.S. quality of life and improve the competitiveness of businesses operating in the global marketplace.

About the Building Performance Institute
The Building Performance Institute, Inc., (BPI) is the nation’s premier building performance credentialing, quality assurance, and national standards setting organization. BPI supports the development of a highly professional building performance industry through individual and organizational credentialing and a rigorous quality assurance program.
BPI offers the following:

• Certification of individuals in building analyst, heating, AC/heat pump, shell/envelope, and multi-family designations
• Accreditation of contractors committed to delivering quality, home performance improvements
• Quality assurance to verify conformance with BPI Standards and provide feedback for continuing improvement
• Affiliation of training organizations that deliver BPI services in their market
• Open, transparent, consensus developed national technical standards based on sound building science

BPI, in cooperation with the building performance industry stakeholders, establishes a professional performance bar at a level appropriate to ensuring the consistent delivery of exceptional building performance services for those entrusting the BPI brand.

For more information about BPI, visit: www.bpi.org